High Court Orders Completion of Abhimanyu Murder Trial Within Four Months

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed that the trial in the murder case of SFI leader Abhimanyu, a student of Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam, be completed within four months.

Justice Kausar Edappagath issued the order on a petition filed by Abhimanyu’s mother, who pointed out that there had been no significant progress in the case even after six years.

The High Court had earlier directed the Sessions Court to complete the trial within nine months. The deadline was subsequently extended by another three months in October 2025. That extended period ended in January 2026. However, the trial has still not been completed, even 18 months after the High Court issued its initial direction.

Abhimanyu’s mother subsequently approached the High Court seeking the speedy completion of the trial.

Abhimanyu, a second-year undergraduate student at Maharaja’s College and the SFI unit secretary, was murdered on July 2, 2018. Popular Front and Campus Front activists were accused of carrying out the killing.

All 16 accused persons in the case were arrested. The chargesheet against them was filed on September 26, 2018.

The trial is being conducted before the Ernakulam Sessions Court. The High Court had recently dismissed a petition filed by five of the accused seeking a stay on the trial.